- Feedback Re: Beachfront demolition/Hua Hin-U-Tapao flights start October 23/OR, Bangchak raise fuel prices/Siam Music Yamaha sponsors Nene Royal/Six bodies found in fishing boat/60 million baht windfall to lottery seller/Flood impact on Thai economy/Floods Inundate Thai Factories/Disaster insurance cover rolls out/Bangkok floods were an avoidable disaster/More rain coming/Inundation reduces hotel bookings/Thailand’s flood defense plans face delays/Treating Every Flood as Exceptional Event
- THE IRAN WAR: Oil jumps over $4, US troops head to Middle East/How US-Israel-Iran attacks affect Thailand
- ECONOMY: Thai firms import Myanmar minerals/New law to replace Hotel Act/Economic shocks weakening country’s resilience/Thailand and Maersk explore port investment/Thai vehicle sales surge/Infineon anchors Thailand’s chip ecosystem
- TOURISM: Thai Airways to restore all flights/Suvarnabhumi clears stranded passengers/Biggest threats to travel and tourism
- CLIMATE THAILAND: Thailand broadens solar scheme
- FOREIGNERS BEHAVING BADLY/HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS
Re: Beachfront demolition
“Despite the ‘illegality’ and inevitability of demolition, it’s sad as the piers, wooden houses of Naresdamri, were one of the more charming aspects of HH. Now the area is increasingly tacky, semi-derelict and charmless, just Bintabaht, countless unprofessional massage places, etc. Perhaps something positive will come with the demolition?” – AB
Hua Hin-U-Tapao flights start October 23
EZY Airlines will begin scheduled flights between Hua Hin and U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport on Oct. 23, following an inaugural trial service on Sept. 30.
The new route will operate on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, using a Cessna Caravan C208B configured with 10 passenger seats. Promotional one-way fares will start at 2,900 baht, with tickets due to go on sale on Oct. 10. Continued …
OR, Bangchak raise fuel prices by 0.75 baht
PTT Oil and Retail Business (OR) and Bangchak Corp. raised retail prices for petrol, gasohol and diesel by 0.75 baht per liter today. Following the adjustment, Gasohol 95 is priced at 40.69 baht per liter and regular diesel at 42.19 baht per liter.
The listed rates apply to retail sales in Bangkok and exclude local maintenance tax. Thailand’s Ministry of Energy also lists Gasohol 95 at 40.69 baht per liter and Diesel B7 at 42.19 baht for both PTT and Bangchak today. Continued …
Siam Music Yamaha sponsors Nene Royal and her ‘OZONE’ band
Siam Music Yamaha Co., a leading music business and pioneer music education institution in Thailand, announced major support for Nene Royal, or Praew-Rattikarn Aumloy, following her achievement in winning a world-class reality talent competition in the United States, along with the members of the youth music band “OZONE,” who have played a significant role in inspiring Thai youth to pursue music.
Both Nene Royal and the members of OZONE have cultivated their musical skills as students at Yamaha Music School. They have played a significant role in inspiring Thai youths to pursue music. As a result, Yamaha is donating musical instruments and audio equipment valued at over 700,000 baht to these talented young artists. Continued …
Six bodies found in Sattahip fishing boat salvage
Six bodies have been found inside the wreck of the S. Kanchanawari 888, a fishing vessel which sank around 50 nautical miles off Samae San in Sattahip, Chonburi. The recovery ends the search for six Myanmar crew members reported missing after the boat went down during a storm on Sept. 21.
All 22 crew were thrown into the sea when the vessel sank between Samae San Bay and Prachuap Khiri Khan Bay. Fifteen survived, while the Thai captain, 46-year-old Wichan Ma-iang, was confirmed dead. Continued …
10 unpurchased tickets deliver 60 million baht windfall to lottery seller
A lottery seller in Yasothon province won 60 million baht after retaining 10 unsold lottery tickets that won first prize in the draw yesterday. The tickets all carried the winning number 402701, giving him 6 million baht per ticket.
The 34-year-old seller made headlines after winning the first prize with all 10 tickets. A single first-prize ticket pays 6 million baht, equivalent to approximately US$180,000, while a set of 10 tickets with the same winning number pays a total of 60 million baht. Continued …
Flood impact on Thai economy greater than initially expected
Economists warn that the economic impact of the Bangkok floods could be more significant than initially anticipated due to forecasted additional rainfall and increased financial burdens on affected households. While the immediate impact on corporate earnings is expected to be limited unless disruptions become prolonged, the flooding poses risks to various sectors, including logistics, retail, and tourism.
The flooding is estimated to cause up to 11.8 billion baht in losses for Bangkok alone, representing approximately 57% of the total economic damage across 27 provinces. Experts note that supply chain disruptions in logistics, specifically in areas like the Lat Krabang inland container depot, could hinder import and export activities. Furthermore, the Bank of Thailand is monitoring the service sector, noting that while the impact remains limited, prolonged flooding could undermine public confidence and impact the economy through increased household debt and reduced consumer spending. – Bangkok Post AI
Floods Inundate Thai Factories, Causing Over $30 million in Direct Losses
Thai manufacturers face severe operational disruptions and mounting financial losses following widespread flooding across Bangkok and 14 provinces, with initial manufacturing damage estimated at $30.4 million (1.018 billion baht).
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported that preliminary loss estimates — based on an assumed 40% impact rate among members in affected zones — cover direct equipment damage, raw material losses, supply chain halts, and logistical disruptions. Continued …
Disaster insurance cover rolls out nationwide
Thailand’s nationwide disaster insurance program is set to cover approximately 30 million households. The program, which launched yesterday, provides protection against damage caused by floods, windstorms, and earthquakes.
Under the scheme, eligible households can receive an initial payment of up to 10,000 baht for flood damage, while those affected by windstorms or earthquakes may receive an initial 5,000 baht. Furthermore, following a detailed assessment, additional compensation can be granted up to a total of 90,000 baht for flood damage, or up to 1 million baht for residential homes. – Bangkok Post AI
The Bangkok floods were an avoidable disaster
Around 300 millimeters of rain fell on Bangkok in just 24 hours, while flooding affected communities across more than a third of Thailand. But as the floodwaters rose, so did anger over whether officials adequately warned and prepared the public.
So could more have been done before the rains came, or was the scale of this disaster simply beyond anyone’s control? Video …
More rain coming to Thailand, more flooding possible
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued its second advisory today, warning that unsettled weather will bring thunderstorms, strong gusts and isolated heavy to very heavy rain to parts of Thailand from Oct. 4–7.
The conditions could trigger flash floods and run-off, particularly on foothill slopes near waterways and in low-lying areas, where accumulated rainfall could also cause flooding. Continued …
Inundation reduces hotel bookings
The central plains have been identified as the most heavily affected area by the ongoing floods, covering approximately 2,208 square kilometers. While specific breakdown of hotel cancellations by exact region is not provided, the Thai Hotels Assn. reported that severe flooding in Bangkok and the central and eastern regions caused over 5,400 room nights to be canceled or postponed.
In Bangkok, hotel cancellations were specifically noted in the capital itself, with 53 hotels reporting postponements or cancellations. In the eastern region, hotels reported a 50% drop in bookings due to the floods, with affected areas including Chon Buri, Rayong, and Chanthaburi. Additionally, the eastern provinces of Prachin Buri and Chachoengsao have seen significant impacts, with water levels peaking in Prachin Buri and moving toward Chachoengsao along the Bang Pakong River. – Bangkok Post AI
Thailand’s flood defense plans face delays as major projects await construction
The severe flooding seen from late September into early October 2026 has renewed concerns over Bangkok’s flood resilience, with comparisons drawn to the devastating 2011 floods.
Many water-management plans developed by successive governments after the 2011 disaster are still under development, awaiting budgets or only recently approved, with several major infrastructure projects yet to begin construction. Continued …
Bangkok Needs to Stop Treating Every Flood as an Exceptional Event
Bangkok should stop treating every major flood as an exceptional event. The recent heavy rainfall will likely be described as an unusually severe event. Authorities will report falling water levels, reopening roads, and resuming business operations. Emergency relief packages will be announced, financial aid distributed, and public attention will gradually shift toward other pressing national issues.
However, this short-term response strategy is becoming unsustainable. Bangkok is not facing an isolated disaster; it is confronting a recurring structural risk that is growing more expensive, increasingly disruptive, and deeply tied to the nation’s economic trajectory. Continued …
Oil jumps over $4 as China halts fuel exports, US troops head to Middle East
Oil prices jumped by more than $4 a barrel oyesterday, with Brent crude settling above $102 as China’s suspension of oil-product exports and reports of an expanded US military deployment to the Middle East intensified concerns over global fuel supplies.
Prices had fallen about 1% earlier in the session before reversing course as fresh developments in China and the Middle East added to uncertainty over fuel availability. Continued …
How US-Israel-Iran attacks affect Thailand
Thai firms import Myanmar minerals amid river pollution
More than 50 Thai-registered companies are importing critical minerals from Myanmar despite a widening cross-border water pollution crisis linked to mining operations upstream, according to an investigation.
The trade includes antimony, tungsten, copper, lead, manganese and tin, much of it passing through Thailand before being re-exported to China. For those living in or traveling around northern Thailand, the issue has direct practical implications for river use, irrigation areas and locally sourced food in affected border provinces. Continued …
Thailand proposes new law to replace Hotel Act
Thailand’s government has proposed replacing the Hotel Act with a new Accommodation Establishment Act intended to bring a wider range of lodging businesses into the formal regulatory system.
The proposed 98-section bill would cover accommodation types that can fall outside the present framework, including homestays, tents, rafts, treehouses, hostels, boutique hotels, and short-term house and condominium rentals arranged through online platforms. Continued …
Bank of Thailand top official warns serial economic shocks weakening country’s resilience
Thailand’s flood crisis is punching into the wider economy as the Bank of Thailand warns of mounting pressure on indebted households and small businesses. Bangkok hotels are already losing bookings during China’s Golden Week, while supply-chain disruption has halted four Toyota plants.
Economists put nationwide losses as high as 33.8 billion baht. Yet, major hotels, airports and central Bangkok remain open, prompting industry fears that dramatic flood images could drive tourists elsewhere. With household finances already weakened by successive shocks, the flooding is rapidly becoming an economic crisis far beyond the streets underwater. Continued …
Thailand and Maersk explore port investment
Officials from the Thai Ministry of Transport met yesterday with executives with the Singapore arm of the logistics giant AP Moller-Maersk to discuss expanding investments at Laem Chabang Port and enhancing cooperation in regional logistics systems.
Maersk currently co-manages terminals B1 and A0 at Laem Chabang Port and operates the Lat Krabang Inland Container Depot in Bangkok, a key facility driving Thailand’s trade and exports. Continued …
Thai vehicle sales surge 26% in August, led by electrics
New vehicle sales in Thailand increased by almost 26% to 59,809 units in August, up from 47,622 units a year earlier, according to the latest data released by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
The market was driven higher by continued strong demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), sales of which surged by 113% year-on-year to 19,720 units last month, while sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) passenger vehicles declined by 17% to 7,973 units. Continued …
Infineon anchors Thailand’s chip ecosystem with Samut Prakan hub
Infineon Technologies AG is using its new US$1.4 billion (48 billion baht) semiconductor manufacturing hub in Samut Prakan as a long-term platform to strengthen Thailand’s semiconductor ecosystem through advanced production, local talent development and closer links with universities and industry.
The new backend facility also expands Infineon’s manufacturing footprint in Southeast Asia. Module A is the first stage of a site that can ultimately grow to five modules, while the company has secured about 200,000 square meters, or around 120 rai, of land for future expansion. Continued …
Thai Airways to restore all flights tomorrow
Thai Airways International said it is ready to operate all scheduled flights from tomorrow, after reducing services for two days while mobilizing additional personnel and managing operations in response to a labor shortage. The airline reduced its schedule by 15 flights on Wednesday and a further nine flights today to bring operations into line with available capacity.
Thai Airways said it had accelerated flight management and mobilized personnel and resources from across its operations to prepare for the restoration of all scheduled services. Continued …
Suvarnabhumi clears stranded passengers, sets Saturday deadline for bags
Suvarnabhumi Airport has cleared thousands of stranded passengers affected by recent flooding, while efforts continue to return delayed baggage and clear a cargo backlog, Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said yesterday.
Phiphat said the stranded passenger problem was resolved by about 1 am yesterday, with no passengers stuck in the system.
Attention has now shifted to delayed baggage. Officials are aiming to return all remaining bags to passengers by no later than tomorrow night. Continued …
Netanyahu, Trump speeches at UN flag Israel, US as biggest threats to travel and tourism
Two bellicose, bombastic speeches by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly last week have clearly flagged their countries as the biggest threats facing the beleaguered travel and tourism industry. The second quarter of the 21st century, which began this year, is now set to be even more turbulent than the first.
With geopolitics now widely recognized as the overarching challenge, and the Middle East conflict at the heart of it, the question facing travel and tourism is: What can, should and must be done about it? Continued …
Thailand broadens solar scheme with 75-billion-baht funding plan
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has signed a proposal seeking 75 billion baht in loan funding to expand Thailand’s “People’s Solar” program, which will provide subsidies of 50,000 baht per household and support up to 1.5 million homes.
The updated scheme will allow solar installations not only on rooftops but also on the ground and floating systems, while households will be able to sell excess electricity back to the grid at a maximum of 5 kilowatts for 2.20 baht per kilowatt-hour under 20-year contracts. Continued …
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Thai citizenship revoked by PM for Israeli man – Continued …
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Foreign man accused of attacking Phuket tuk tuk driver – Continued …
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South Korean Football Coach Arrested in Thailand on Fraud Case – Continued …
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Chinese man held in Kanchanaburi over Interpol Red Notice – Continued …
Hua Hin Links and Transport
Calendar of events/Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/Air pollution index map/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport
Ysterday, the Hua Hin Municipality Ordinance Review Working Group met to consider the appropriateness of improving, drafting, and amending local laws enforced in the area to make them more effective and aligned with the city’s development.
The Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Statistical Office has requested the public’s cooperation in providing information for the September 2026 survey project. The survey will collect important statistical data useful for national economic and social development planning. The survey projects are as follows: The 2026 Labor Force Survey Project; project on surveying the use of information and communication technology in households; informal labor survey project; the household socio-economic survey project; projects to improve the country’s common framework of establishment database; and the construction site data-processing project.
Where is Nene’s financial support coming from?
Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is using ownership records covering 125,622 companies to strengthen checks for nominee arrangements involving land and condominiums, with particular attention to economic centers and major tourist destinations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) verified Thailand’s elimination of rubella as a public health problem on Sept. 5, making the country the seventh in the WHO Southeast Asia region to achieve the milestone.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude has rallied this month but stayed below $100 a barrel despite recent escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict that has disrupted Gulf exports from the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Thailand’s headline inflation rose to 2.53% year on year in August 2026, its highest level for three months, as fuel costs and food prices increased across much of the country. The Consumer Price Index stood at 102.67 in August, up from annual inflation of 1.95% in July, according to Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) at the Commerce Ministry.
Review the risks and regulatory loopholes behind Thailand’s data center rush, and ask whether Thailand has the resources to pay the price.The Hazards: Massive fuel storage tanks, 80dB low-frequency noise pollution, and urban heat traps baking local alleyways.
EEC’s Hospitality and Retail Bet on Lifestyle
U-Tapao and High-Speed Rail: EEC’s Make-or-Break Infrastructure Bet
Thailand plans to provide government-funded disaster insurance to around 30 million households in high-risk areas against floods, storms and earthquakes under a scheme approved on Sept. 1.
The five-day visit by US sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln group has helped promote a “new image” of Pattaya as a diverse tourist destination, rather than mainly about “nightlife and beer bars”, according to Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet.
Cambodia Airways will begin flying between Siem Reap and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept. 15, adding a direct link between Cambodia’s main Angkor tourism gateway and Thailand.
Thailand is preparing a Climate Change Bill that could take effect in the third quarter of 2027, as officials warn that inadequate action to address climate risks could leave the economy facing losses equivalent to as much as 14% of GDP by 2050.
Personnel from the USS Abraham Lincoln have reportedly been prohibited from entering Pattaya Soi 6 and Soi 7 after sunset as part of safety rules imposed during the aircraft carrier’s port call in Chonburi.
Hordes of US sailors were up early yesterday as they set out to explore this tourist city on their second day of shore leave. They began their explorations on Wednesday night, with many making a beeline for the famous Walking Street to soak up the atmosphere.
Behind the neon signs of Thailand’s vast nightlife industry, HIV remains a deadly and deeply entrenched threat. Prostitutes and customers increasingly arrange paid sex through websites, applications and private messages. They then meet inside hotels, rented rooms or homes, bypassing medical checks once imposed through established sex venues.
Thailand’s use of trade preferences under free trade agreements reached US$48.069 billion, or approximately 1.57 trillion baht, during the first six months of 2026, rising 7.3% from the same period last year. The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) reported that preferential treatment was claimed on 80.8% of the value of eligible exports between January and June.
Thailand has formally removed the foreign business license requirement for seven specified service activities, under a new ministerial regulation published by the Royal Gazette yesterday.
Asia still accounts for roughly half of global GDP on a purchasing-power-parity basis, and multilateral forecasters expect that share to keep inching up even as headline growth rates cool. The World Trade Organization sees Asia-Pacific trade growth slipping to 3.8% in 2026 from 4.1%, and the Asian Development Bank’s most recent outlook points to a similar moderation across the region.
Thailand’s ambition to become a global hub for wellness tourism and preventive healthcare is being held back not by a shortage of talent or infrastructure, but by regulation that has failed to keep pace with a rapidly evolving industry, according to senior executives and experts who spoke at the Bangkok Business Summit 2026 yesterday.
Thai Navy schedules four September royal barge rehearsals
Thailand’s ‘Jurassic Park’ shines light on dinosaur evolution
Gallothai: Three Decades of Chocolate Craftsmanship